Mumbai After Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) agitation against loudspeakers at mosques failed to evoke a good response among citizens and MNS party workers as well, officials from the home department and leaders of ruling parties claimed that fear of police action against party leaders may have been the reason behind the poor response.
Talking about the failed agitation, a home department official said that the ability of the working class to hit the streets for such protests has been affected. He attributed this to the stringent insistence of police verification to get jobs and gigs in both the formal and the informal sector.
“Any cases filed by the police during such protests affects the job prospects of party workers, apart from the agony of judicial procedures that may drag on for years. These cases also reduce the chances of passport issuance and creates a hindrance for those who want to head abroad even for menial jobs,” he added.
The official further said that in his opinion, the agitation petered out on the first day and thus, will not evoke any better response in the days to come. Interestingly, the source also noted that any crackdown on the use of loudspeakers may affect the Hindus more than the Muslims. For example, in a district in western Maharashtra with Muslim pockets, just 560 of the 3,700 loudspeakers have been put up at Muslim places of worship.
Another home department official said that lockdown-related economic disruptions, coupled with the fear of criminal cases lodged by the police, has kept the working classes away from the protest.
“The Maharashtra police have always passed such tests with flying colours…they are also on alert and will prevent any untoward incidents in the future. The peace that prevailed in Maharashtra shows that the youth have realised that such instability is not good for them,” said Satej (Bunty) Patil, minister of state for home.
He added that 87 of the 100 State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoons had been pressed into service, with the other 13 in reserve. A total of 30,000 home guards and all ranks of the two lakh-strong Maharashtra police were also deployed on Wednesday. A total of 600 police sub-inspectors and 3,600 constables under training were kept in reserve in case of any eventualities.
“Around 270 preventive detentions have taken place across Maharashtra and thousands of preventive orders under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, were issued,” said Patil.
However, senior MNS leader and former MLA Nitin Sardesai said that the response to their protest was good. “At most places, the volume was low. It shows that people are willing to change…this is not an issue that will be resolved in a day. This led to awareness in people and became a talking point for them. Some people also chanted the Hanuman Chalisa in local trains. They were not our workers, they were common people. So, this shows that the common man agrees with us,” he added.
Former MLA and senior MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said that the agitation will continue till the loudspeakers are taken down. “The government will say this, but listen to what the people are saying,” he added, when asked about claims of a tepid response.
The contrast of the response to the loudspeaker issue has been stark. In 2008, when Raj Thackeray launched his campaign against Hindi-speaking migrants in Mumbai and neighbouring areas, there was a groundswell of support for the party.
During the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, the MNS upset the calculations of the Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which were then in an alliance, and in the subsequent state assembly elections, got 13 legislators elected. It was also blamed for affecting the prospects of the saffron alliance in 66 assembly segments.
The political somersaults by the MNS may have affected its credibility. It was seen as the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) cat’s paw (2009), supported Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister, yet put up candidates against the BJP (2009) and campaigned for Congress-NCP candidates in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The anti-loudspeaker protest is claimed to be a “social issue,” yet has evident anti-minority undertones. This plank may enable the MNS to strike an understanding with the BJP in the coming local body polls.